Pianoforte-action



(No Model.)

A. P. S. 8v H. G. OSTBRBERG.

PIANOFORTE ACTION.

N0. 498,523. Patented May 30, 1893.

EEEEE.

vin-N in which our invention is embodied.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST F. S. OSTERBERG AND HANS G. OSTERBERG, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANOFORTE-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,523, dated May 30, 1893.

Application filed April 2| 1892. Serial No. 427,529. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, AUGUST F. S. OSTER- BERG and HANS G. OSTERBERG, of Boston, in the county of Sutlolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianoforte-Actions,of which the following, taken in connection with the` accompanying drawings, is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of devices by which new and improved effects are produced in piano forte actions, especially in relation to repeating and to the action known as the sastenuto as well as to other divisions which will be best understood by reference to the drawings and speeication.

Our improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l shows in end elevation the parts Fig. 2 shows most of the same parts enlarged so as to admit of more clearly showing the operation of the moving parts.

In the drawings, Fig. l, A represents a piano key of ordinary construction, adapted to operate the sticker D through the following described mechanism in which B B is the foot piece attached by a pivot to an extension part C, as shown. The lower end of the stickerD extends downward into a recess formed for it in the foot piece B B in which it is free to slide up and down. Near the lower end of the sticker D, I have a bracket D, through which an adjusting screw D2 works. This adjustin g screw D2 is so arranged as not to work longitudinally in the part D', but to work as a screw in the part B B', so that by turning this screw D2 the sticker D may be adjusted as to its vertical relation wi th the key A. The upper end of the sticker D is pivoted at e, to the lever E, this lever E, being pivoted in turn to the flange T, which is made fast to the rail R. The outer end of this lever E, has attached to it aback-stop E2. E isa jack pivoted to the lever E at e. This jack E has a toe-piece EG adapted to` engage with the adjustable check-screw El, so that as the jack is thrown up the toe-piece EG coming in contact with the check E7 will cause the upper end of the jack E to be thrown out from under the shoulder E'l of the hammer butt E3, and thus allow the hammer to fall back. In addition to the shoulder EA1 on the hammerbutt- ES, we have a shoulder piece E5, the lower or working face of which is clearly above the working face of the shoulder E, W'e call the shoulder the repeat shoulder and it is on the end of the screw as shown, so that it maybe adjustable. The object of this repeat shoulder E5 is to enable the player to make very rapid repetitions of the hammer-stroke, that is, the blows may be repeated without allowing the key to fall back to its resting position as is required in ordinary actions. Another improvement in connection with our hammer-butt consists in forming upon it a projecting angle H2, adapted to engage with an adjustable buttress-piece J3, connected to the lower end of the damper lever J, so that as the ham mer-butt (which swings on the pivot 77, in the flange T) swings, it will come in contact with the buttress Js and throw the damper lever J back from the wire lV, and allow it to sound. The damper levers J are pivoted at J to projections made fast to the oscillating rail R as shown, said oscillating rail R having a longitudinal axis represented by R2. As the rail, R is oscillated, the projection r impinges the damper levers, because the springs back of the damper heads force the lower ends ot the damper levers back to the projection o", and then the dampers are removed from the string, since their levers must now move with the oscillating rail R.

The oscillating rail B may be turned by an ordinary lever attached to a pedal in the usual manner.

H is the hammer stem, attached to the butt E3, H being the hammer, which when out of action is heldin position by the hammer-stem rail R3. The jack E is pressed forward by the spring c2, so that its upper end will always remain under the shoulders of the hammerbutt unless it is thrown out by the action of the toe-piece E6, as already described.

IVe will now describe our device for holding back any desired number of the danipers without holding them all back. This part of the action consists in forming at the lower end IOO of the damper lever J a point P, and in placing a little below it a pin S, there being one of these pins S for each damper lever. These pins are set vertically in a moving rail S. This moving rail S is adapted to have an upward motion when desired in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. 2), its motion being guided by the block K on the rail R. It is to be noticed that the moving` rail S must not turn on its axis, but must be moved upwardly and diagonally, always maintaining the pins S in avertical position. The action of this device is as follows: Vhen the player desires to have certain notes sustained the required keys are depressed. This action will throw the damper lever J forward so as to bring the pointP to the position indicated by dotted lines at point P. Now the moving rail S is thrown upward, and coming into such a position that the pins S will be behind the point P', and as the moving rail S is moved farther upward, it will cause the pins S to carry the point P forward so that the lower point of the damper lever J shall occupy the position indicated by dotted lines at P2, that is the damper lever will be thrown to the extreme position away from the wire, as indicated by dotted lines, and so long as the moving rail S is held up none of the dampers which the player has selected to be held back will be allowed to fall from the Wires. Thus all these selected notes will have their full open were not previously held by the points S will occupy the middle position, that is, that indicated by the dotted lines at P.

Ve claiml. In a hammer-butt of a pianoforte action, the combination of a normal shoulder El and an adjustable repeat shoulder E5, said shoulder E5 being distinct and separated from the normal shoulder E4, so that the jack E having acted on the normal shoulder and given a full stroke of the hammer, may (before the hammer has time to return to its place of rest) be made to give a series of repeats on the repeat shoulder, without giving another full stroke: with the jack E', substantially as and tor the purpose set forth.

2. In a piano forte action, a rail S, havlng vertical pins S', and adapted to move diagonally (but keeping the pins S always vertlcal) in ways formed by the rail R and the blocks K, as described: with the rail R and blocks K, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a piano forte action the combination of the oscillating rail R,andlocated centrally in relation to the length ot the damper levers J: with the diagonally movingrail S, and pins S, whereby the user may-while some of the damper levers are held back and the wires kept in open vibration by the pins S', throw all of the other wires temporarily into open vibration, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 21st day of March, A. D. 1892.

AUGUST F. S. OSTERBERG. HANS G. OSTERBERG.

Witnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER, MATTHEW M. BLUNT. 

